Author:  Charles Tillinghast
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN 978-1-4327-2924-051095

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This deceptively slim book (under a 100 pages) provides an interesting behind the scenes look at the Beatles’ relationship with their American recording company, Capitol Records and, more significantly, with each other. It briefly chronicles the fortunes of both the Beatles and Capitol Records from their alliance in 1962, through to the band’s break up less than a decade later. As one of the lawyers handling the Beatles’ contracts at Capitol Records, the author had the opportunity to interact with the Beatles, and observe their business relationship with Capitol at close quarters.

The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) , often called the greatest band of the twentieth century, enjoyed early success in the UK, prompting their British recording company, EMI, to consider launching them in the US market. Yet, when their recordings were first heard at Capitol, they were written off as mediocre! It took the success of their single ‘I want to hold your hand’ for Capitol to consider the Fab Four’s potential in the States, and sign them on. The Capitol-Beatles alliance was not destined to last long, however. Within a decade, the group’s members had become increasingly contentious, and their differences gradually drove them apart.

Fresh problems rode in on the wake of the breakup, both for the Beatles and Capitol. Besides a lengthy settlement claim from the Beatles, Capitol’s problems were further compounded by crises in management, falling stock value and disgruntled employees. Meanwhile, each of the Beatles went on to start an independent career in music, but none of them ever came close to the success they had enjoyed when together.

This book is difficult to classify. It is at times a memoir; at others, a detective story (as when Tillinghast investigates the claims of various people claiming to have been responsible for bringing the Beatles and Capitol together). And sometimes a primer on the music industry, with its concise pointers on the basics of contracts, royalties and temporary restraining orders. Tillinghast has a brisk style of writing that carries the reader with ease through subjects as complex as contracts, royalties and the application of service tax laws on Capitol. The book is peppered with humorous asides, and anecdotes about celebrities and prominent people from the record industry.

Having grown up listening the Beatles, I particularly enjoyed reaching Tilinghast’s analysis of the band’s dissolution (Chapter 15). He captures the unequal relationship between the four, with Lennon and McCartney overshadowing the quieter yet no less talented Harrison and Starr. He also notes the inevitable changes brought on by age and the band members’ relationships with women. The demise of their band manager, Brian Epstein (often called the ‘fifth Beatle’) was a loss the band never recovered from, and the subsequent bickering over hiring new managers and legal counsel led to their eventual breakup, the blame for which may largely lie with McCartney.

My one complaint with the book – it should have been longer! While the brevity of the book is attractive, it nevertheless rushes the reader through a very exciting period in the American entertainment industry. Some fascinating characters – Bhasker Menon, Stanley Gortikov, the author himself- make all too brief appearances, and I wish these had been detailed more. It also ends very abruptly, with the author’s departure from Capitol, long before the Beatles’ settlement claims had been resolved.

Overall, an interesting story told well.